It’s very difficult to pinpoint any singular reason behind dubstep’s rise to ubiquity from the fringes of electronic dance music. One theory is that producers like Skrillex, Flux Pavillion and Doctor P found success in strong contrasts; they embraced poppy, airy buildups and juxtaposed them with the adrenaline shot of a heavy drop. The recipe seems to work, and production and DJ duo Cold Blank’s newest single “Louder than Bombs” is the latest proof.

The lead single from their upcoming album The Agenda, “Louder Than Bombs” is actually only one of two songs that isn’t at the standard house tempo of 128 beats per minute. “The whole idea was to bring our electro kind of vibe to the hard banger aspect of the dubstep scene,” says Chris Gaspar. “We tried our usual tactics [but] at a dubstep kind of tempo.” “Louder than Bombs” opens with a meandering lead synth, and the tension builds as an echoing vocal sample is phased in before being disrupted by a monstrous flurry of wobbling bass gnarls. “The track originally had a vocal on it, and [that's] almost what drove the track itself over the breaks, but we couldn’t get it cleared, so it ended up being an instrumental track,” Chris explains. “But I think there is room for it though, so we can definitely do something in the future.”

Stream “Louder Than Bombs” below and purchase it at Beatport.